STORY: TOOTHBRUSH WARS

SCRIPT # 498 SHOOT: 1/31/03

AIRDATE: Monday, Feb. 3, 2003

Daybreak and Midday

DHC #17 Timecode: A toothbrush war has broken out.

It’s the twists versus the shakes.

Dr. Linda Niessen of Baylor College

of Dentistry explains what sparked

the battle in today’s segment of

SOVT: 1:30 Dental Health Check.

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CLOSE-UP OF SONICARE MOTION (VOICE-OVER)

This power brush shakes.

CLOSE-UP OF ORAL B And this one twists.

TWO BRUSHES TOGETHER So which one do you think does

a better job of cleaning your

teeth?

(On camera) (STAND-UP BRIDGE)

SUPER: Dr. Linda Niessen A recent study conducted in

Baylor College of Dentistry Great Britian gave the edge to

:14-18 this one---the brush that twists!

Researchers found that a twisting

motion removes up to 17 percent

more plaque than manual

brushing.

CLOSE-UP OF SONICARE The same study found that the brushes

that shake have no advantage.

The people who make the Sonicare

toothbrush are mounting a defense.

(“You get cleaning where the bristles

aren’t actually touching—2 to 3

millimeters beyond where the bristles

actually touch.”)

DR. MARY SWIFT (“Find one you like.”)

ORAL B BRUSH A Dallas dentist explains

the twisting motion technology of

the Oral B and Crest Spin brushes.

Page 2 Toothbrush Wars

SUPER: Dr. Mary Swift 1:16-1:21 (“Because it has a smaller head,

Dentist you’re cleaning a single tooth at a time.

You’re taking your time all the way around the mouth, hitting each tooth

with the smaller head.”)

SUPER: Dallas 1:28-1:34

MORE POWER TOOTH BRUSHING At the annual Southwest Dental Conference and trade show in Dallas, battle lines are drawn. And losing

could be costly. Power brushes account for more than 400 million dollars in annual sales in the U.S. That’s almost half of the total market for toothbrushes.

(ON CAMERA) (STAND-UP CLOSE)

The most important message in

this battle of brushes is find one

that you personally enjoy using.

That way, you’ll use it more often

and more effectively.

For Baylor College of Dentistry,

Texas A & M System, I’m Dr.

Linda Niessen.

Additional information for web pages:

The study was conducted by the

Cochrane Collaboration, an international

nonprofit ization that compiles and reviews

data from healthcare studies. The Cochrane

Oral Heatlh Group looked at 29 clinical trials.

According to the findings, only the rotational

oscillation toothbrushes proved more effective

than manual brushing.